The worst months for acqua alta, or flood tides in Venice, are October, November, and December. This winter, however, the waters have kept coming: Yesterday afternoon and early this morning, the city had two acqua alta events that fell into the "very high tide" range of 110 centimeters or more above the official baseline. 

As we write this, the post-midnight waters are expected to crest at 125 cm, a level that will leave many streets, campi, and building entrances underwater. (When we were out with our dog Maggie in the 11 p.m. hour, the few tourists and Friday-night drinkers in the streets were splashing around with garbage bags over their trousers or braving the waters in their athletic shoes.)

Cheryl took the photos below during the afternoon of Friday, February 19, when the waters were beginning to recede after reaching a peak of about 110 cm.

The low-lying fondamenta in this picture is one of the first to flood and the last to drain during acqua alta. (The man in the photo is probably a Venetian, since he's wearing the traditional green rubber boots.)

This man wasn't so well-prepared: He had to take his shoes off and walk barefoot to get through a flooded stretch of pavement alongside a canal.

On the Zattere, next to the Giudecca Canal and its ship channel,  wind and tide provided a little wave action for acqua alta surfers.

Cheryl spotted a man pushing a Billa supermarket cart along the Zattere. (Note to Billa: If you're missing a shopping cart, here's your culprit.)

A few blocks inland, at the Campo San Barnaba, a canal's border of white Istrian stone warned pedestrians of the drop-off.

 
In the sorteportego or  covered passage leading off the Campo San Barnaba toward Accademia, Nadia--a women's accessories shop--was doing a land-office business in rubber boots and umbrellas.